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in collaboration with
Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
You attribute the appearance of these dark circles to a lack of sleep… But in certain cases, these bags or discolorations can be a sign of a more worrying health condition.
Having bags under the eyes or a slightly duller circle is often a sign of too short nights and a need to take it easy over time. But, this is less known, dark circles can also be a symptom in several pathologies.
Fatigue? No, allergic terrain!
A TikTok user recently experienced this as she testified. During a medical consultation, what she took for fatigue circles immediately caused her doctor to react. For this one, the young woman had hereditary allergy problems.
“He said to me: ‘You want to know how I know that?’ He answers me: You have allergic dark circles under your eyes. […] I thought it was just because I wasn’t sleeping, but he said, ‘No, it’s actually due to congestion in the blood vessels. They produce a pigment which shows that allergies are hereditary’“ she explains in the Mirror.
These allergic reactions are thus known under the name periorbital hyperpigmentation. They are the result of congestion in the nose and sinuses which also affects the small veins under the eyes. No fatigue therefore (or not only), but a reaction to hay fever, dust allergies or even certain food allergies. One more symptom that can be added to the more well-known ones such as itchy eyes, nasal congestion, itchy throat and palate…
The presence of certain symptoms should prompt you to consult a healthcare professional quickly, especially if you feel sudden swelling of the lips, mouth, throat or tongue, or difficulty breathing.
These other disorders that give dark circles
Allergic conditions are not the only ones that can give you dark circles. Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo, discusses other possible causes.
- Disorders of the thyroid : thyroid dysfunctions can cause bags and dark circles under the eyes, particularly due to the water retention they cause;
- A anemia : iron deficiency can cause dark circles because the body is not able to properly oxygenate the tissues, darkening the appearance of the skin under the eyes;
- Problems of blood microcirculation and lymphatic: Malfunctions in these systems can cause stagnation of blood and lymphatic fluid under the eyes, leading to a buildup of waste and toxins;
- Idiopathic hyperchromia of the orbital ringcharacterized by excessive production of melanin in the skin of the eyelids, causing brown or black pigmented dark circles;
- Finally, certain medications can cause water retention and thus contribute to the appearance of bags and dark circles under the eyes.
In all cases, (except during periods of too short nights) marked dark circles that persist, an abnormal color, or swelling, should prompt you to discuss the problem with your doctor.
Slide: When fatigue hides something else…